The Cultural District is a fourteen-square block area in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania bordered by the Allegheny River on the north, Tenth Street on the east, Stanwix Street on the west, and Liberty Avenue on the south.. Flag Seal Nickname: The Steel City Location Location in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania Coordinates , Government Country State County United States Pennsylvania Allegheny County Founded 1758 Mayor Bob OConnor (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 151. ... The Allegheny River (historically, especially in New York state, also spelled Allegany River) is a principal tributary of the Ohio River, which it forms with the Monongahela River at the downtown Pittsburghs Golden Triangle point. The river is approximately 325 mi (523 km) long, in the U.S. states...

Its landmarks include: Allegheny Riverfront Park, Benedum Center, Byham Theater, Harris Theater, Heinz Hall, O'Reilly Theater, Pittsburgh High School for the Creative and Performing Arts, Three Rivers Arts Festival Gallery, and Wood Street Galleries. In 2008 it will be home to the new August Wilson Center for African American Culture. This article treats the former Stanley Theater of Pittsburgh, for other same-called buildings see Stanley Theater (disambiguation). ... Heinz Hall hosts the renowned Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra in Pittsburghs Cultural District. ... The OReilly Theater is a landmark building at 621 Penn Avenue in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvanias Cultural District. ... Pittsburgh High School for the Creative and Performing Arts is a magnet school located in the Cultural District of downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. ...

Major arts organizations based here include: Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera, Pittsburgh Dance Council, Pittsburgh Opera, Pittsburgh Public Theater, and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera is a nonprofit professional theater company based in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvanias Cultural District. ... Pittsburgh Opera is a professional opera company based in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvanias Cultural District. ... The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra is one of the major orchestras in the United States. ...

The district is the brainchild of H. J. Heinz II, and is managed by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. The Trust's first project was the restoration of the former Stanley Theater into the Benedum Center. It applied a holistic approach to urban redevelopment: streetscaping programs, facade restorations, new cultural facilities, public open spaces, and art projects. Henry John Heinz II, best known as Jack Heinz, (1908–1987) was an American business executive and CEO of the H. J. Heinz Company based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. ... Stanley Theater is the name of several theatre venues in the eastern U.S.: the Stanley Theater in Vancouver, British Columbia, see Stanley Theater (Vancouver) the Stanley Theater in Jersey City, see Stanley Theater (Jersey City) the Stanley Theater in Utica, New York, see Stanley Theater (Utica) the former Stanley...

Redevelopment in the district has been widely praised. Brendan Lemon of The New York Times wrote, “To describe Pittsburgh’s unconventional, un-Disneyfied remodeling of its Cultural District… is to explore how theater can help transform urban identity”.

External links

• Pittsburgh Cultural District website

Reference

• Toker, Franklin (1986, 1994). Pittsburgh: An Urban Portrait. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press. ISBN 0822954346.